Messi Set to Acquire Spanish Second-tier Club Eldense

Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi has reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to take ownership of Eldense, a Spanish second division football club, according to a source who spoke to ESPN.

Currently, Eldense is owned by the Colombian investment group Grupo TH, which also manages clubs in Colombia and Switzerland. The acquisition is pending the completion of due diligence and approval from Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD).

If the deal goes through, Eldense would become the second Spanish club owned by the Barcelona and Argentina legend. Earlier this year, Messi purchased Cornellà, a fifth-division team based in Barcelona.

Unlike Cornellà, which remains semi-professional, Eldense is a professional club, marking Messi’s first investment at this level in Spain.

At 39 years old, Messi is also partly involved in ownership of the Uruguayan club Deportivo LSM alongside his Miami teammate Luis Suárez.

Since Eldense and Cornellà compete in different divisions, ownership of both clubs is unlikely to cause immediate conflicts. However, if Messi holds majority shares in both, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) would probably not permit the teams to play in the same division, potentially limiting his ambitions with Cornellà.

Founded in 1921, Eldense has mostly played outside Spain’s top two divisions. They were promoted to the second tier in 2023 for the first time since 1964, relegated in 2025, and promoted again this summer.

After a poor start to the current season with no wins in four matches, Eldense dismissed coach Claudio Barragán earlier this week and currently has no manager.

The club hosts its home games at Nuevo Pepico Amat, a modest stadium in Elda with a capacity of 5,776 spectators.